Journey Through MiddleEarth
by nerdmafia101
Summary: Alyssa was your average future scientist, logical and knowledgeable. Till she landed in the most illogical of places: Middle-Earth
1. Beginning: The Lab

**So hey guys, this is my first LOTR Fanfic, so advice would and will be very welcome! Hope you like it!**

**and remember, I own nothing!**

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><p>It was a cool sunny morning, with small and cream colored clouds in the sky, moving along their lazy path. The birds were chirping, the squirrels running between trees and the sidewalk, carefully and soundlessly. Cars ran through the town of Cambridge, Massachusetts at a slow tempo, it was only Sunday morning and nothing much was going on.<p>

But on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, life was going on as usual. The students waking up and moving through campus, going in and out the library, and others just wandering aimlessly around.

Junior Alyssa Banks was not in any of these categories. She had an objective: To get to the lab on East Campus before 10:30. Current time: 10:15. She might be late, and might was not a territory she wanted to approach, she was either early, or never would be there. And for this lab assignment that she was running towards was the assignment of her life; the search for the uses of neutrinos.

Alyssa looked like any other girl. She had short dark brown hair and grey eyes. Her skin was pale, in her profession there was not a lot of time to go outside to get that much wanted tan.

But if there was one thing that most people knew about Alyssa was that she was always a logical person. A _very_ logical person. Her parents were both scientist, one of the looking for the mysteries of the universe, the other looking for the mysteries within atoms. She grew up being surrounded by logic and knowledge, that was the only thing she ever knew, the way that she grew up. As seen from other people's points of view, her childhood might seem strange, a little too much for someone growing up.

Truth be told, she never actually had an actual childhood. Her parents always were feeding her mind the latest science articles, what they meant, and how it could change her world. And this neutrino lab was going to change the world as everyone knew.

Alyssa ran towards a large brick building, with high, wide windows. She ran towards the double doors, scanning her ID badge to get through the to the lobby of the lab. The lobby was as simple as every other lobby, with wide open space, chairs, and an occasional desk. The main color theme was white and black.

And it was in the lobby where she found the rest of Team Neutrino, the members of her lab group: Mark Evans, a tall Senior with dark eyes and dark hair; Senior Richard Klosè, a European with light colored blue eyes and light brown hair; and finally their instructor, the leader of the research team, Bill Poski, an old man with white hair, happy green eyes, and white hair.

They were standing together, dressed in the white garm that was required for all types of experiments. It was Poski who spoke first, "Miss. Banks, today is the most important day of this experiment, yet you decide to cute it pretty close on the lateness!"

"I'm sorry Professor, the bus was running late this morning and-"

Alyssa never got to finish her sentence, Poski cut her off with a wave of his hand, a look of indifference on his face. "The facts don't matter Banks, just change your clothes. And quickly, I'd like to see you in the lab dressed and ready to go. I'm not giving you more than fifteen minutes."

'Yes, sir," Alyssa responded with a disheartened voice. Her parents were friends were Poski, they'll be sure to hear about it in those fifteen minutes. They won't be happy about her lateness, especially on this important date.

Alyssa made sure to dress quickly, so they wouldn't waste any more time waiting for her. Once she got into the main lab, a place full of high tech instruments and complicated machinery, she looked around the place. She had a big grin on her face. Today would be the biggest day of her life, the day where she and her team proved to the world that neutrinos could be used for time travel.

That was when Richard walked up to her, her grin mirrored on his face. He nudged her arm lightly, "So you ready for today?"

"Biggest day of my life, why would I not?" She said in an equally enthusiastic voice.

"Came pretty late today. Poski almost thought that you were bailing out. And so close to the end!"

Alyssa gave a small snort, "Yeah, and I'm sure Mark encouraged him on those thoughts. He'd be one to kick me out of the group."

"Never would doubt it."

Alyssa gave a soft sigh as she looked at Poski and Mark walk around the instruments, arranging the instruments, and looking over data.

"Klosè!" Poski yelled out, looking around for Richard.

"Over here, sir!" Richard yelled back, moving forward and raising his hand at the same time.

"Hurry and get the neutrinos heated up and ready to go, the instruments are ready." Richards nodded and walked away at a quick pace, ready to get going with the job. Poski and Mark walked towards Alyssa, Poski at the front and Mark behind him, holding a clipboard. "Banks, I want you monitoring the status." Alyssa nodded and with a determined look on her face she moved towards a desk with many monitor screens on it, showing all kinds of data.

"Time?" Poski asked?

"It's 10:45 on the dot!" Alyssa held out from her position, Mark writing down the information on the clipboard.

"Then we're ready to go!"

11:28 **Breaking News: The campus of MIT has informed of authorities of an experiment gone wrong in one of their labs in East Campus, it is known that there were four people there at the time, three students and one teacher. More has yet to be known on this.**

11:57 **Update: There are rumors that the group using the lab were using nuclear power. Leakages are likely, authorities have taken precautions and evacuated everyone on campus and anyone within five hundred meters. More will be known.**

1:42 **Update: Authorities have thoroughly looked over the lab and no traces of nuclear products were found. Three bodies were found in the lab, pertaining to two of the students and the one teacher on site. The third student remains missing,**

2:17 **Update: The students and the teacher were sent to the nearest hospital. They the teacher and one of the student is in stable condition, the other student more unstable. A search is being ensued for the missing third student names Alyssa Banks.**


	2. A Green Place

**So hey it's me again! Yeah, i updated two days in a row! it's not something I am most likely to doing, but I will try to do it often! Thanks for reading and enjoy.. :) And thanks to you who review!**

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><p>Alyssa hurt. And all over. There was no spot that did not feel one ounce of pain. She finally knew the immense pain soccer balls go through, because she was feeling like if she got kicked repeatedly over all different areas of her body. Alyssa tried opening her eyes but gave up, the hospital lights were too bright for her were to bright for her.<p>

And it was at this point of her pondering that she began to bring the pieces back together: The failure of the experiment.

Failure. One word that Alyssa always pretended never existed, because failure never existed for her. But now it has made its long awaited appearance in the shape of a sinking ship, the ship being her future. Alyssa moaned softly as she tried to roll into a ball, something she did whenever she wanted to wallow in her misery.

The experiment was going great- or so everyone thought. The readings were normal, and the result of the experimentation was yet to be seen. Then the lights momentarily went out, and that was when things started to go downhill: the readings went wack, the neutrinos -having spent even the minimum of second without being heated- started to go all over the place. Everything turned chaotic. None of them knew what was going to happen or what to expect. Klosè and Evans wanted to evacuate and inform authorities of the mishap, but Poski wanted to stay and ride out the problem, maybe it could be fixed. Alyssa was on his side for once.

And so they strayed together in that room as things started to get worse and worse. The temperature of the room began to drop steadily and they couldn't bring anything back to normal. That was when they decided to run out, but that was also when the explosion happened and everything went dark. The last thing Alyssa remembered seeing before the darkness took hold of her was seeing a blinding blue light.

Alyssa shivered, she didn't want to see what the explosion could've done to her, she didn't even want to think about it. So she once more shut down her thinking capacities, letting herself take in the sounds of her surroundings.

She loved the calm nature sounds the hospital seemed to be transmitting through the intercom, they were quite relaxing. Alyssa heard the birds chirping, the wind going through the trees. She could imagine the blueness of the sky, the brightness of the sun. It all sounded so real, heck even the bed she slept on felt like grass! But wait… the world wasn't advanced enough to have beds that felt like grass which meant…

She wasn't even in a hospital.

Alyssa sat up quickly, and regretting it as her muscles cried out in pain. She looked carefully around her. She was in a circular clearing, a wide, green one, with trees surrounding it and the occasional trees within the circle. The only problem with being here was that Alyssa had no clue where she was at. She reached for a thick long stick, and used it to help her get up. She used the stick as a crutch, helping her get to the closest tree and catch her breath. The explosion was sure to have done some internal damage, she was hurting pretty horribly. She looked up at the sky, judging the sun's location and guessing the time to be early morning.

Alyssa leaned back against the tree and looked carefully around her; the place didn't look too dangerous. She decided that she should look for the closest body of water and from there she would decide where to go next.

"Well, Alyssa, it's now or never," She said softly to herself and she pushed herself off the tree and began to walk with the help of the stick.

The day dragged on slowly, clouds moving through the sky and the wind slowly blowing through the trees. Alyssa was moving at the speed of clouds, making little progress as she walked on. She sat down to have what seemed her hundredth rest of the day.

"A forest is a place full of life yet, where is all the water?" Alyssa cried out in a tired voice. She looked around her. Green, green, and more green. With the occasional brown. Where is the blue? Where is that water!

And that was the moment when she started to hear voices. They were soft and seemed to be speaking in a strange language. Alyssa quickly got up and though her body seemed to be yelling obscenities to her, she ran as fast as she could.

"Help! Please, help me!" Alyssa yelled, hoping that the voices heard her. But it was at that moment that the voices also stopped. "No, please, don't go," she muttered under her breath before she started up her yells once more, hoping that the people whose voices she heard would be compassionate enough to help. But still the silence remained.

And so Alyssa stopped, and while leaning on her walking stick she did something she hasn't done since she got a B+ on that Chemistry quiz her Sophomore year of high school: She cried. Alyssa Banks, science prodigy, stuck in a strange place that might not possibly be any where in America. Or the world that she knew for that matter.

Alyssa heard a crackle behind her and turned. There in front of her stood what she might consider one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. The woman was pale, with long, wavy black hair and equally dark colored eyes. She wore a beautiful, long, white and black dress. A man with long white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes stood beside her, holding the reins of a white horse. Both of them were tall and had a graceful look.

They conversed amongst each other in a language Alyssa had never heard before. _You're not in Kansas anymore_, she thought to herself before she moved forward, holding a hand up to show the man and woman she was not dangerous. "Can you help me? I'm hurt, I don't know where this place is, all I need is help and I-"

Alyssa once more fell into the darkness, the worried voices of the man and woman echoing in her head.


	3. Waking Up

**woot, woot! Another update! So I've finished reading _The Fellowship of the Ring_. It's just incredible! So I hope you all take the time to read it! And also read what I wrote! Remember, review!**

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><p>Alyssa looked out her dorm window and frowned slightly. She was hoping on today being the brightest and bluest days of them all, but grey clouds marked the sky, draping the world in a foreboding tone. The last hope Alyssa had for this day was that it didn't rain, otherwise the outdoor ceremony might be compromised.<p>

She walked out of her room in a pale blue dress that touched her knees and matching blue flats, Alyssa was never one for wearing heels not matter the occasion. When she was outside of the building she noticed her parents, the scientist Angela and William Banks. Both of her parents wore black outfits, her mother a dress and her father a regular tuxedo.

Alyssa instinctively reached out for her mother first. They looked almost like sisters, every single one of Alyssa's looks handed down to her from her mother. Then she turned and reached for her father, a tall man with slightly graying hair and caramel eyes. Alyssa had a soft spot for her father, she might look like her mother, but she got her entire personality from him.

"Alyssa, are you ready for today?" He asked in a soft baritone voice.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Alyssa responded with a voice full of excitement.

Angela and Alyssa hooked arms, "Then, dear, I say we get going!" And they walked like that, mother and daughter side by side, the father watching with a smile behind them, all the way to the ceremony site.

Alyssa saw Mark, Richard, and Poski standing together near a big white tent. She saw Mark waving her over there and she separated herself from her mother as carefully as she could, "Mother, I need to go with my team, they'll be needing me, and I'm sure I'm one of those that are supposed to be with them!"

Her parents nodded and waved her off, looking for seats of their own in front of the tent. Alyssa looked at them one last time with a wistful smile on her face, her parents were the ones that taught her everything and today they will be the proudest parents ever.

Alyssa turned on her heels and walked towards her team, feeling as light as a cloud and as happy as a kitten surrounded by catnip. She was floating, higher and higher, not touching the ground…

The rain came suddenly and without warning. Alyssa had a worried look on her face, but no one else seemed to be as saddened as her, it actually seemed as if they were slowly melting, She stood in the middle of a colorful puddle, blackness surrounding her…

Alyssa opened her eyes. She breathed heavily, her heart racing. _That had to be one of the weirdest dreams ever; first I was late for the experiment, then explosions, then I landed in a weird world, man, never, ever will I ever, sleep late while reading Hawking_, she thought to herself as she moved to sit upright. She clutched her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down. Alyssa got up after a few seconds and started to walk out of her dorm towards the restroom when she suddenly ran into a wall.

She feel to the floor in a heap, lying there for a couple to slowly take in information and her surroundings. The room was not the usual brown of her dorm, but a pale golden color, everything had a curved and soft look to it, and there was only one huge bed in the middle instead of two small twin beds. And the room was, to say the least, gigantic, with a large window beside the bed.

At that moment, the door softly opened, and in came the same women that first found Alyssa, this time wearing a maroon dress. "Oh, I see that you are awake," she said a tinkling voice, a smile on her lips. She carried a large metal tray filled with food on which she carried to the table on the right side of the bed, the side closest to the window. "I brought you food, you've been gone for days, I knew you would be hungry, but I never guessed that you would be awake!"

Alyssa got up, rubbing the back of her throbbing head, "Yeah, well uh… how long was I out?"

"What do you mean? I-I don't understand?" The woman said in a confused voice.

"How long was I… asleep?" Alyssa said, wondering if that was the right word to use.

"Oh, yes, you were 'out' -as you said- for a couple of days. You gave us quite a fright. Legolas thought you were on death's door, and father almost thought you were beyond cure." She walked forward towards Alyssa, "And it seems you're from a strange and magical world, for we have seen many travelers come by here, but have yet to see one wear clothes such as you wear."

Alyssa looked down at her herself and saw that she was wearing a soft white dress, that had many flower design on it. It looked as soft as as the room she was in. She looked up at the woman, surprised, then bits of what she said came back to her, "Wait, you said you were with a man named 'Legolas' right?" The woman nodded, "Then your name must be… Arwen?"

The woman, Arwen, looked more surprised than ever, "I was under the impression that you were a stranger who got lost in the Middle-Earth but… only someone who knows well of us would know me!"

Alyssa groaned as she threw herself unceremoniously on the bed, "Nooo, _noooo, __**nooooo**_!" She began to hit the bed repeatedly, "Out of all the places that stupid experiment could've sent me, why here? Why not the past, to the present, or another reality or planet! Why, why of all places, out of all the possibly places, why_ Middle-Earth_?"


	4. The Councils

Alyssa laid on the bed, muttering obscenities about the "illogicalness" and "utter useless silliness" of the land of Middle-earth. After a couple of minutes of this Arwen sat beside her, putting a calming hand on Alyssa's back. At her touch Alyssa quickly rolled around and looked up at Arwen, "Where are my clothes? The clothes I came in with, what did you do to them?"

"We took them and threw them." Arwen responded in a calm and neutral voice.

"You threw away my clothes?" Alyssa said in an outraged voice.

"Yes, when the time comes for you to speak to either my father or Gandalf -or possibly both- you will need to be presentable." Arwen responded in a calm voice. She then walked to a wardrobe in front the bed. It was made out of soft wood, like everything else in the place. She opened it and spoke, "And this too shall be yours for your stay here."

In the closet there were many light colored clothes and few dark colored ones. Alyssa went forward and began to look through the clothes, letting her fingers go through the soft fabric. "These are all dresses though… Do you really expect me to wear them?" Alyssa asked with a worried look on her face.

"Of course, they are proper clothes." Arwen responded.

Alyssa sighed, flipped through the clothes once more, than turned towards Arwen, urgency written all over her face, "Arwen, where is your father? I'd like to speak with him. Like, right now, so I can find a way back home."

"Father is not available right now, he's in a Council." She then walked towards the window, opened it and stepped out into a balcony, "Come and look."

Alyssa followed here, treading carefully and cautiously. If there was one thing she new about this world already, it was that it did not follow either the rules of logic or physics. Once she stepped outside, she noticed that it was as golden out there as it was in the room. She looked around and saw nature everywhere, climbing up the trees, in the mountains surrounding this place, in the waterfalls that went along the mountains. Never has Alyssa seen so much free roaming space and beauty in one place. "Arwen," she said in an awestruck voice, "What is this place?"

"Rivendell," Arwen responded with a smile, "Or as some elves call it, _Imladris_. It goes by either name."

"Elves,_ elves_… _**elves**_?" Alyssa's voice was getting a bit higher pitched each time she repeated it, "You mean… you're real? Pointy ears and all?"

"Why, yes, we are real, why would you think otherwise?" Arwen said, moving her hair to the side so her pointy ears could be seen.

Alyssa had to hold on to the railing before she could faint from over dose of illogicalness. _Pointy ears, elves, _Alyssa thought, _I must be dreaming! This is not the real world!_

"Alyssa, are you- are you okay?" Arwen said as she moved close to Alyssa, reaching for her elbow.

Yeah, yeah," Alyssa waved Arwen off, "I'm fine just… overload of information, you just can't believe what a jump this is… doubt you even have such things as physics, I'm totally doomed here…"

Arwen watched Alyssa curiously, amazed at all the nonsense that she was speaking. Maybe she did need to sleep longer. "We came out here for my father did we not?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, just… had a moment. Yeah, is he out here or something?" Alyssa asked as she looked around the small but spacious balcony. As far as she could see, she and Arwen were the only ones there.

Arwen chuckled softly at the girl's silliness, "No, he's not here," She turned around and walked until she came to the railing. Arwen looked down and smiled, turned back to look at Alyssa and pointed downwards. "He's down there, the Council's with him also."

Alyssa walked until she was standing beside Arwen, looking down from the balcony. She saw thirteen people situated in a circle surrounding a small circular table in the middle. The group seemed to be talking calmly, but beneath their demeanor Alyssa knew something was about to break.

"Who's your father?" She whispered to Arwen.

"Elrond, the caretaker of Rivendell, sits at the chair at the front of everyone," Arwen responded, pointing to a tall man with a face that looked like it's seen many years.

"And those short people with the beards?"

"They are dwarves, here from deep within the mountains. The other short beardless people are Hobbits from the shire. Those with the long dark hair are men, lords of their land, the man with the long grey hair is a wizard," _Did she just mention, wizard? _thought Alyssa, "And the rest are some of my brethren from other places in this land," Arwen explained to Alyssa, pointing to each of the mentioned, "They're here to discuss Sauron's One Ring."

"The One Ring?" Alyssa's eyes moved from the Council to Arwen, confusion written all over her face, "What is that?"

Arwen sighed, for one who knew her name, she did not know anything about this world. "The One Ring," She pointed to the table in the middle of the circle. In the Council, two of the Men Lords were standing, seeming to talk to each other and those around them, soon another man, an elf this time, stood up. They all appeared to be arguing with each other. "It was created by Sau-" But she never got to finish; chaos reigned in the Council, the elf and dwarves were arguing with each other and the men against themselves. The wizard and Elrond seemed to have a defeated look on their face. The only calm ones in this situation appeared to be the two Hobbits present.

Arwen shook her head, "It looks as if the friendship that dwarves and elves once had will never be rekindled." She walked away from the balcony, and once she got to the window looked back at Alyssa, "Come, Alyssa, the Council looks almost finished and I must make you look presentable."

Alyssa looked down at the Council one more time, seeing all the strife and fighting that was going on. _They will never achieve anything with all this fighting, _she thought, before she turned around and followed Arwen out.

Arwen stood outside Alyssa's room, ready to walk her to where they will be meeting with her father and possibly Elrond. "Alyssa, are you ready? You have been there awhile?"

"Coming," Alyssa responded with a grumpy voice. She came out and Arwen smiled at how beautiful the young woman was. The dress was a long silver one that Arwen chose mostly because it accentuated her eyes. It had long sleeves, and it was so long trailed on the floor, the clothe rippling like water. She held her hands up, her dislike showing in her messy, short dark brown and in her face, "Do I _really_ have to wear this?"

Arwen chuckled softly, her laughter like chimes in the wind, "yes, you do. I have already told you this is what is proper for a lady to wear in our land." She walked towards Alyssa, her hand outstretched and reaching for her unkempt hair. "Now let me see to your hair, you cannot be looking like you just got out of bed."

"Back in my world, we never did this, women dressed proper, but even then, it wasn't proper1 Here, they're too old school." Alyssa started saying as she and Arwen began to walk. Arwen was in front of Alyssa, leading her across long hallways full of both light and darkness.

Alyssa saw a statue of a woman holding out a tray, and on that tray was a broken sword. _Why in the world would these people keep a broken sword?_Alyssa thought, _I'm sure that it's of better use elsewhere._

Arwen then took a turn to the right, going down a small flight of stairs. Alyssa followed her and saw two people waiting at the foot of the stairs: Elrond and the old wizened old man.

Arwen walked towards Elrond, her father, moving by his side, "Father, Gandalf, I have brought the strange girl that Legolas and I found, just as you've told me."

Elrond looked at Alyssa with a scrutinizing look but she was not paying attention for she was looking at her surroundings. It had the same light golden hue as her room, but she noticed it looked very familiar even though she's never been there and realized, this was where the Council took place.

"Child," Elrond said in a booming and commanding voice," What is your name? Why are you here?"

Alyssa looked at him, surprised, "My name is Alyssa Banks and I-I'm from another place, a place that's like… this place, but different. It's called planet Earth."

The old man, the one that might be called Gandalf, had a thoughtful look, "Earth you say?" Alyssa nodded, Gandalf leaned on his stick, "I've never heard of any place named _Earth_, but on my way here, I do recall feeling a strong magic. At first I suspected it as being some of Saruman's evil magic but now that I think about it -and judging from the place where Arwen found the girl- it might've been a portal to this so called, Earth."

Elrond and Arwen were looking at Gandalf, paying attention to every single word that left his mouth and once he was done, Elrond spoke, "Then what are we to do? Open another portal for this firl to get back to her homeland? Would you be able to do it Gandalf?"

Gandalf shook his head, "No, I doubt it, that would take much magic, some of it dark, and I am not willing to do it," He paused for a moment, thinking, "Although, this girl… would it be possible for her to join the Fellowship?"

At that moment Alyssa spoke up, "Wai, whatt? Why would I need to go with this group?"

Elrond gave a quizzical look at the strange use of the language that the girl was using, then turned back to Gandalf, "You already have the nine put together, why would you need this girl to come along?"

Gandalf looked at Alyssa. With that look, she was sure he was looking into her soul, "I just have a feeling, you trust me do you not Elrond/"

"yes, of course I trust you but this idea, it is mad idea!" Elrond said, "This girl is a stranger to these lands, how would you expect her to know her way around? And I am sure that she does not know how to handle a weapon! This journey requires warriors, not children that would need to be taken care of, for that there are the hobbits!"

"Yes, I understand Elrond but-Ah! Legolas and Aragorn! My friends, why don't you come down here!" Gandalf outstretched his arms towards something behind Alyssa, she turned around and saw that at the top of the stairs there were two men, one a rugged man who wore dark colors and had dark colored hair that reached the top of his shoulders, the other what appeared an elf is his paleness was a deciding factor. He had golden hair that was slightly longer than the rugged man's and he wore light colors.

The two men began to walk down the stairs, greeting Arwen, Elrond, and Gandalf once they were down. The rugged man came to Arwen last, and near her was where he stayed and it was he who first spoke, "Gandalf, I was not expecting to see you again until our group decided to make our move. But what calls us present here?"

"Ah well, what you see in front of us," Gandalf pointed to Alyssa, directing the attention of the newcomers, "Is your new assignment."

Everyone present had a confused look on their faces, but it was the man with golden hair who first spoke, "Assignment? What do you mean by this? I thought being part of the Fellowship was our one and only assignment!"

"And it still is," Gandalf walked away from the group and towards Alyssa, positioning himself next to her, "But here you have your temporary assignment, Alyssa Banks. Legolas, Aragorn," He nodded to each of the men, acknowledging them. From what Alyssa could tell, the blonde was Legolas, one of the people who found her, and the other man was Aragorn. "You are to teach Alyssa how to fight with the sword and the bow before the Fellowship leaves."


	5. The Desicion

**So you guys now get an extra lengthy chapter! I'd like to thank the great Howard Shore fro making the music to the Lord of the Rings, it was the one thing I was listening to as I wrote this. as always, read it, review it, and enjoy it! And thank you to those of you who have reviewed! I think someone asked me about a love interest. My thought: Eventually, but not right now!**

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><p>Everyone present was stunned into silence and yet Gandalf stood before them, looking happy. "Gandalf, but you cannot be serious?" Elrond asked.<p>

"Why, of course I am! You said she knew nothing of anything, so here are two that could teach her!" Gandalf turned towards Aragorn and Legolas, who wore shocked looks, "I do not expect you to object, though this might push our adventure back a bit..."

Gandalf stayed where he was, a thoughtful look on his face as Aragorn spoke, "Gandalf I… I value your ideas and opinions greatly but, as Elrond has said before, we can't simply _take_ the girl with us, she knows nothing!"

Alyssa had an annoyed look on her face, "Yo, girl has a name, and it's Alyssa Banks!"

The group talked on, ignoring her comment.

"I agree with Aragorn on this, she should not come." Legolas finally spoke.

Gandalf sighed heavily, "Elrond, you stated your trust in me, yet you won't help me help this girl get back to her homeland?"

"Why, yes, I do trust you but, using up Aragorn's and Legola's time? And with the matter of The Ring on the line also! No, this cannot be done Gandalf." Elrond walked forward, as if at any moment Gandalf would go in a rage and he had to be contained.

"What if we struck a deal?"

Everyone turned towards Alyssa, surprised that she would say something like that. "Well what would you propose…?" Aragorn asked.

"Alyssa, the name's Alyssa. And I would propose that we stay here for a couple of days, just me and the sword and the bow, and when the couple of days are over, you can decide together whether or not I should go. That way, I actually have a chance!" Alyssa waved her arms dramatically, the group stared on.

"She does have a good point…" Legolas said in a low voice.

"So you are saying you would agree with it?" Gandalf said, joy returning to his voice.

Legolas shrugged, "As long as Aragorn agrees, I am not going to carry all this burden alone."

Aragorn was silent, thinking. Then he began to speak, "I would do it. It seems as if we might need more help on this journey, and Alyssa might be the one to offer it."

Gandalf raised his arms, his staff hanging in the air, "Then it is settled! I will give you two seven days, on the seventh night I expect a report. We will decide on her future them. Anything else in between, you and Legolas can arrange." Everyone nodded, it was a good idea. A great idea actually.

Alyssa suddenly held up her hands, "Hold up, before anything else happens, I would like to put in a little… _request _of my own."

"And what would that be? As long as we can provide it, we have no problems giving it to you." Elrond said.

"I want to wear proper clothes. At least proper for me. I want men's clothes." Alyssa spoke it without blinking an eye, and Arwen gasped in disbelief.

"Alyssa! I have told you, the clothes that you are wearing are proper! We cannot just hand you men's clothes!"

"Well in my world, we were allowed to wear pants and shirts! Not everyone walked around in a dress ya'know!"

"Just give her that, Elrond, it would do no harm," Aragorn said, speaking like a calm wind amongst angry clouds. "She's already gone from her world, the least we can do is give her the hope that she can still live in her old ways."

Elrond seemed to not be able to take a stand in the argument. "Plus, I'll be fighting -at least practicing. I can't do all those crazy moves in a dress!" Alyssa said, trying to use it as a way to lure him to say yes.

"Fine," Elrond said, "You shall have this request. But let this meeting break up so Legolas and Aragorn can make a practice schedule for the girl." He moved away from the group, walking upwards to the stairs, "Arwen, I have business to take care of but I would like you to help fit Alyssa into her new clothes." And with that spoken, he left.

Soon every member that was present began to leave, Gandalf first, then Legolas and Aragorn last. He held on to Arwen's hand until the very last moment.

Alyssa crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "Is there anything you would like to tell me about that, Lady Arwen?"

Arwen brushed her comment off, "Now, don't be silly! Men's clothes, why, that is not proper! But I shall do as my father has told me to do. Come, Aragorn told me that your training will commence immediately and you need to be dressed in your way of right by then."

And off they went, Arwen in the front and Alyssa trailing behind her.

Alyssa stood in the middle of her room, dressed comfortably in black tights, brown boots, and a silvery-grey shirt that went down to her mid-thighs. The fabric was soft as all elven fabrics seemed to feel. "Well, now this is what I call comfortable!" She said as she walked around. Arwen was sitting on her bed, looking over Alyssa. "But tell me, why grey? Why always grey?"

Arwen smiled, "I couldn't have my way with your choice of clothes, so I will have my way in your choice of colors. The grey makes your eyes stand out beautifully."

Before Alyssa could offer a proper retort, there came a knock on the door. The door opened and in came Legolas, wearing clothes in shades of green. "Alyssa, Aragorn and I have decided to start your training early, I will be with you every morning practicing the bow and Aragorn will be with you every afternoon practicing the sword."

"So, I'll have my afternoons free?" Alyssa asked.

Legolas nodded, "But if you can come with me, I will get you started."

"Well, Arwen, it's nice being around you and all, but I have some training to do!" Alyssa waved to Arwen as she walked out, bracing herself for her first step into a possibility back to Earth.

Alyssa laid her bed, back in her night gown. She remembered her first moments in this world, the world of Middle-Earth. She remembered how much she hurt and how much she complained about it. Now that she thought about it, she felt no pain at the moment. The pain she was feeling right now though, now that was real pain.

Legolas first made her do pushups because according to him, "without a strong arm, the arrow will never find its target!"

Then came Aragorn. Alyssa felt like her arms were about to fall off at that moment, that was how hard Legolas pushed her. But Aragorn was willing to push her harder and he focused not on upper body strength, but on lower body strength. And so Alyssa began her afternoon session by running the entire time.

After the tenth lap, she ran up to where he was sitting, outraged over the fact that all she was going to do was run, "Aragorn! You gotta train me up! You expect me to learn something from running?"

He looked at her nonchalantly, "It will help you, think about it, when you are in a sword fight with someone and they have the upper hand, what is the one thing that can possibly save you?"

Alyssa raised her arms and shrugged, "I don't know, somehow outsmarting the opponent? Using the laws of physics to your favor?"

A look of confusion now came upon Aragorn's face, "What do you speak of? No! Speed, speed will help you, and speed is what you will learn. Now, "Aragorn got up from his sitting spot, "Come, it is now time to-"

"Have a lunch break?"

"No, time to run up the mountain."

There came a knock on the door and in came Arwen, wearing what she usually does, a dress.

"What do you want Arwen? Can't you see I'm tired and in need of rest?" Alyssa said in a tired voice as she covered her eyes and turned her heads towards the window.

"Well, you should not have accepted Gandalf's offer nor made up that 'great idea' of yours." She wore a smile on her face and carried a cup. She walked towards the bed, sitting beside Alyssa's laying body. "Now, get up, I brought something for you." Arwen then took Alyssa's hands away from her face and tried to push her into a sitting position.

"Arwen… please? Just, gahh, I don't wanna hear about how horrible this idea is." Alyssa got up when she noticed that Arwen was not going to stop her prodding. "I'm even regretting it! Is this how you guys down here train? Because it is pretty hard-core."

Arwen smiled as Alyssa continued her rambling. She noticed that sometimes, the girl from the different world came into the accent and talk that belonged to her world. "I've told you, I brought something to make you feel better." And with that, she thrust the cup into Alyssa's hands.

Alyssa curled her fingers around the cup and smelled it, "Hmm, this smells good, hope it taste good."

Alyssa gave one sip, and then nodded her agreement. She kept on sipping until she was done with the drink. Arwen then took it from her hands.

"Arwen, that was great I've… I've…" Alyssa yawned and stretched her arms out, "It's great it really is…" Then she went down slowly on the bed and started snoring softly.

"You have a long road ahead of you, and you need your rest." Arwen got up and started to leave the room. Once she got to the door she took one last look at Alyssa's sleeping body and left.

Finally, the day that Alyssa had been waiting for arrived, Day Seven. She had just finished with Legola's lesson and she was full of hope. Through the days that she worked with Legolas and Aragorn, she noticed that she began more and more fit, little by little. They praised her hard work and good ethic, and they even got to give her gifts, her very own sword and bow and arrow. She even had two small daggers to add to her arsenal since Legolas decided to even teach her how to use them.

It was dark outside and Alyssa waited at the at the top of the stairs, her bow and arrows on her back, her sword at her feet. She looked out to the balcony at the figures of Elrond, Gandalf, Arwen, Legolas, and Aragorn, the people who at this moment would decide what else to do with her, be it join the Fellowship, or stay back.

Alyssa looked away from them and moved her gaze down to the sword at her feet. It was made of silver and had a brown handle with no other adornments. Aragorn told her it was made by elven smiths especially for her. Being made by elves, it had a long life, and being made for her it was made light weight so she could use it easier.

Alyssa thought about what they would decide, what if the don't let her go? She'd have to stay here, in rive dell, away from adventure and the possibility of finding another portal back to Earth. She grabbed the hilt of her sword tightly; _No, that would never happen_, she though, _I would surely find a way out!_

Elrond looked at the people around him. There were five people present, and out of all of them, they had to decide on what to do with the girl. "Aragorn, Legolas, what do you two have to tell us?"

Aragorn spoke first, "I would say she should come. She shows promise and she works hard. Maybe some time on the road would help her become better. I agree with her coming." Gandalf nodded to what Aragorn said, while Legolas looked a little more cautious.

"Although I respect you and your decisions, Aragorn, I would have to go against you on this one." Legolas said. He stood up straighter and looked at Elrond in the eye, "The girl does not belong amongst the men of the Fellowship, she is just a beginner and we need experienced fighters to come with us. She will be a liability and the hobbits seem to be trouble enough."

"Elrond, I cast my vote, the girl goes." Gandalf said.

Meanwhile, Aragorn gave Legolas a look of disbelief. "Legolas, how can you say that after working with her for these past days? You know how hard she works, and she has even put up with you! You, who are a more strict teacher than I, you, who always looks for perfection in everything and everyone, can you not lower your standards one bit for this girl?"

Legolas shook his head, "Elrond, I cast my vote, the girl does not go." He then turned looked at everyone present as he spoke, "This Alyssa Banks, she is but a girl, a young girl. She should be here, in Rivendell, safe and awaiting this portal that would send her home. Would you have her go and risk her life for in a journey that might not give her what she wants?"

He turned towards Aragorn, "You have seen her during practice, you have been with her. Can you not tell she does not like anything that we teach her? She does not like the probability of her killing or hurting anyone, she does not think of the dangers of the trip." He shook his head, "She should not go."

"Aragorn, I am sure you are with letting the girl go." Elrond said, "So this makes the count two for, and one against."

"But what will be your decision, Elrond?" Gandalf asked.

"I am against her going." Legolas gave a small smile, someone was finally on his side. Elrond turned towards Arwen and spoke to her, "Now, Arwen, your vote will be the deciding one, what will you have the girl do?"

Everyone's eyes turned towards her as she closed her eyes and gave one long sigh as she though. She opened her eyes and spoke.

Alyssa got up as when she saw the group nod in agreement, they all wore the same hard look that comes with making decisions. She picked her sword up and pushed it into its scabbard. She began to move towards the group when Gandalf waved her over.

As always, it was Elrond who spoke first. "Alyssa, we will have you understand that this decision is final, nothing you say or do will change it."

Alyssa nodded as she braced herself, whatever happens, happens. What she failed to notice was Arwen's misty eyes and wet cheeks.

The morning sun came into Alyssa's room, turning everything into it's usual golden color. But for Alyssa, the situation was anything but golden. Elrond decided that she will not join the Fellowship, even after all her hard work. It appeared as if the votes were three versus one, and Alyssa had no knowing who voted on which side (Though she was sure that Gandalf voted for her to go.).

She looked up at the ceiling, listening to the chaotic sounds of everyone moving across her room. Everyone was busy, but why wouldn't they? The Fellowship was leaving and everyone was helping in the last preparations.

The door knocked, and Alyssa knew who it was, she heard the same knock several times during the week. "What do you want, Arwen? To see me wallow in my misery? To watch me try my hardest and fall because of the decision of some stupid old timey guys?"

"I am not Arwen, but Gandalf The Grey." Spoke a voice that Alyssa did not usually hear anywhere else but in meetings. She got up quickly and saw that the wizened man was at the door. "And I believe that those 'old timey guys' are wrong. You have every right to go on this journey." he moved in front of her bed, holding her sword and bow and arrow along with his staff. "Now, you need to suit up and find an inconspicuous way to get out, because I can only help you so far."

Alyssa ran out the bed, stumbling, "You-you really want me to go?"

Gandalf nodded, "Of course, I see something in the future for you, if you join us. Mayhaps you cannot go back home unless you make this journey."

Alyssa grinned form ear to ear as she got her weapons from Gandalf, "Thank you but, how am I to get out with out anyone seeing me?"

Gandalf was leaving and he took one last look at Alyssa, "Think of something… original."

Alyssa noticed that, though he looked in her direction, he wasn't looking at her, but behind her. Which meant…

"Aw, man, Alyssa," She murmured to herself, "This will have to be the most insane thing you will ever do."

Alyssa stood in the middle of the balcony wearing a thick, grey long sleeved shirt that nearly reached her knees, her usual black tights and dark brown boots, and a light brown cloak with a cape. She pulled herself up so that she was on the balcony, on the ledge between safety and insanity.

"Brace yourself, Alyssa," She told herself as she looked around. She examined the area around her, thinking of the safest way to get to the front gate, the gate where the Fellowship was getting ready to depart from.

Alyssa then jumped into the unknown.


	6. Between Rocks and Mountain

**So after all this long chapters, I finally present you with a short one1 But hopefully the next one becomes longer. Read, enjoy, and review! **

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><p>Alyssa landed on the ground with a loud thunk and a clatter; Her bow fell off her back and landed on the ground beside her, and her right ankle didn't seem to be fairing as well. She got up and experimented on her hurt ankle. It was okay, but it was sore. From out here on the other side of the gate, she could here the voices of the Fellowship. They were waiting for someone, probably some Boromir since his name was mentioned so many times. Then she heard then shuffling around, the Fellowship was ready to move.<p>

Alyssa looked up and saw a bridge, with a forest after it. Aragorn taught her some basic stealth skills, maybe this would be the best time to use them. She quickly ran as quickly as her hurt foot would let across the bridge and once she reached the forest side, she hid behind a tree. And in good time too, because she could faintly hear the sounds of a gate opening, the trudge of people's feet, and the mixture of voices.

Alyssa slid down to the ground, and tried to hide amongst the leaves. The voices soon became closer and louder and she saw the Fellowship, walking in a line, Gandalf at the front, followed by a dark haired hobbit, Legolas, a red haired dwarf, two hobbits with blondish hair, a tall man with brown hair, another hobbit with reddish looking hair who was holding the reins of a small horse, and behind them all, Aragorn.

Alyssa watched as they walked down the trail, their voices growing dimmer and their figures smaller until they finally crossed a curve and disappeared. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She got up from the ground, brushing off dirt and leaves from herself, and proceed to checking that her weapons were secure, She didn't want her bow -or any weapon for that matter- to fall off again. Maybe this time it would blow her cover. Once she made sure that all her weapons, -bow, arrows, two daggers, and sword- were securely in place, she began to move at a brisk run behind the same trail that the Fellowship walked on.

Running after the fellowship in the woods was easy, there were enough trees and animal life to cover up the slightest noise she made. What Alyssa didn't like were the moments when they walked into the open. She then had to wait a while before she could actually begin to follow them for fear that they might catch her. But as far as the trip went, the one place she disliked the most was this rocky terrain. It was rocks and rocks everywhere, with the occasional bush. In the distance she could see two snow capped mountains and on the other side more green space.

From her hiding spot in a far off bush she could see the Fellowship, resting on what were large rocks. She could see Gandalf, sitting down in an area high above the group so he could see everything around, smoking a pipe and there was Legolas, milling about and looking every way, he was the one Alyssa had to watch out for the most. She could also see the other tall man, looking like he was playing around with two hobbits. Alyssa sighed and leaned back into her hiding spot, it appeared as if they were going to stay there for a while.

Gandalf stood at the top of the rock, smoking and thinking, Thinking about the journey they, the Fellowship, were undertaking, about the possible roads they could be taking, the dangers of the road, but most of all, he thought of Alyssa. Had she listened to his advice and escaped? If she did, how was she faring? And as he looked out, past the mock fight of the hobbits and Boromir, past the worried face of Aragorn, and then he saw it. It was a slight movement in the bushes some feet in front of them. He would've usually passed it off as being an animal, but he knew that animals in this land were few and far between.

Gandalf was ready to make Alyssa's presence known to the group, when he noticed they weren't talking as they did, instead they were looking up into the sky, into the distance. He looked at Legolas, and followed where he was looking. Out in the distance he saw a flock of birds, but not just any birds, black crows, carrion.

"Hide!" he yelled out, and soon saw and he and everyone went under rocks and into bushes, awaiting the passing of the birds.

Once the birds all passed, the whole group came out. "This is not a good sign," Gandalf said to the group. "They must be messengers of Saruman."

"What do we need to do then, Gandalf?" Aragorn asked, looking up at Gandalf for wisdom.

"Take a different road, a road through the mountains. "he responded, pointing to the snow capped mountains. He saw as everyone prepared to walk and make there way there. When we saw them start waling he spoke out, "But first I must tell you something." He braced himself for the many reactions and objections the group would have.

Alyssa was sleeping comfortably, but someone grabbed her harshly, and she awoke from a dream filled with her earthly memories. She looked up into the unemotional face and cold blue eyes of Legolas. "Ohh, nooo," Alyssa said softly, then more strongly. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Gandalf told us. He said that, since you're here, you might as well follow us. And follow us correctly. Now come, the rest of the fellowship is already making their way." He turned, and then walked back to where the Fellowship was, without turning around to make sure that Alyssa followed. Alyssa got up quickly and ran to catch up.

When she joined the group, everyone gave her mixed looks. Some didn't know what to think while other's faces remained unchanged.

"Now that we have our last member, we can move on through the mountains." Gandalf said.

The small dark haired hobbit then spoke, "Who is she, Gandalf? I've never seen her anywhere else before."

Gandalf gave Alyssa a prod with his staff and she proceeded to introduce herself. "Oh, uh, hey my names Alyssa Banks," She held out her hand as was customary greeting in her land but pulled it back when she noticed that no one was going to shake it. "So, uh, Gandalf, where we go to?"

"through the mountains and onwards to our next destination" And with that spoken he began to make his way through the snow capped mountain, Legolas following quickly at his heels.

Aragorn came up behind her, clapping her on the back, 'Alyssa, it is very nice to know that you learned something from me. Going from you room to the front gate, and without anyone knowing! How did you do it?" A smile was on his face, waiting for her to answer.

"Um, I, uh, jumped out the balcony." Alyssa responded as she tried to follow the group.

Aragorn laughed, "No, really, how did you do it?"

"I jumped out the balcony." Seriousness was etched into her face.

The laughter drained from Aragorn's face, "You are not telling me a joke?" Alyssa shoke her head no, "Oh, well this would prove Legolas wrong, He was against you coming you know."

Alyssa sighed, "He probably hates me. He surely does. Why?"

Aragorn shrugged, "He is an elf, not everyone knows what goes on in an elves' mind. It be best that we not ponder on the subject too long." And he walked faster, joining the rest of the group.

Alyssa stopped for a moment, and looked around her. Ahead were the snow capped mountains and behind her were green forest and trails that led to Rivendell. She managed to get this far by following the Fellowship and she could possibly find her way back by memory.

She had gone this far though? Does she really want to stop now, to go away from the danger and go to safety?

If she kept on going she might head into unknown territory, and with their luck, maybe a war. War…

_Wars, scientist do not wage wars. At least not like a regular soldier does. We wage wars for the good of humanity, for the greater good and for better knowledge and understanding. This killing and fighting, it is plain _wrong_._

"Alyssa, are you coming with us?" Aragorn called out. He stayed rooted to his spot as the rest of the Fellowship moved around him. He was waiting for one thing and one thing only, her answer.

Alyssa looked forward and back once more, then she made her decision. She would go forward, even if it were the death of her.


	7. Walking in a Winter Wonderland

**So it's been ages since I've updated! I apologize dearly readers, the last coupl of weeks were busy and the next couple of weeks will be as busy. but we finish school in mid-May so more updating them! **

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><p>The Fellowship trudged up a white, snowy mountainside with Gandalf in the lead. Though everyone was exhausted, none was a exhausted as Alyssa. Even in her week long training she never went through the amount of physical exertion she was going through as she climbed the mountain. Because of this, she was the very last one in the line, right behind Aragorn.<p>

Frodo was the in front of Aragorn and from what Alyssa could tell, he was suffering as much as her, he was just better and moving forward. But suddenly she saw him falter, and start to go slide down, rolling in the snow with Aragorn beside him. Aragorn helped Frodo up, but Frodo clutched his chest, obviously looking around himself with a worried look on his face.

"Aragorn, the Ring, it fell!" Frodo said in a desperate voice.

The group stopped and looked around themselves, but it was Boromir who picked up a golden chain with a ring on it. He looked at it lustfully.

"Boromir, the Ring needs to go back to Frodo." Aragorn said in a stern voice. Alyssa noticed that he moved the hand not holding Frodo up to his sword.

Boromir looked from Frodo and Aragorn to the Ring; Aragorn's grip on his sword tightened.

"Here," Boromir brought the Ring to Frodo, "Take care of it." He began walking ahead while everyone else gave him mixed looks.

Alyssa looked around at everyone, she could feel the tension in the air and knew that Aragorn's and Boromir's personalities would be clashing multiple times on this trip.

"Alyssa," Aragorn said as he pushed Frodo forward, "Come, you cannot just stand there."

And so the Fellowship moved forward further and further into unknown and perilous danger. And the farther they went up the mountain, the deeper the snow became. It eventually became so deep that Gandalf was using his stick to pull up the snow and pave a path for everybody behind.

The members of the Fellowship all had their hoods up and Boromir and Aragorn were holding onto the hobbits. The snow swirled around them and the only one who seemed un affected was Legolas. Instead of walking with the group he walked beside them. It seemed as if being an elf saved you from ever falling into snow.

Legolas walked forward slowly, glancing up to the sky occasionally. Gandalf gave him a quick glance; He kept walking farther and farther, until he was standing right on the edge of the cliff.

"Legolas," Gandalf asked, "What are you doing?"

Legolas looked up at the sky, the clouds were storming but rays of sun could still be seen. "I'm searching for the sun."

Alyssa chuckled lightly as the pulled her hood farther down and clutched her cloak tighter around her. She knew the Fellowship as a whole were tired and cold, but it appeared as if Boromir was the closest out of all of them to the breaking point. He opened his mouth -probably to yell out some quirky remark at Legolas- when the ground began to shake and a low rumble began to sound.

Everyone began murmuring, "Who -or better yet, _what_- is that?"

Gandalf ran up beside Legolas and I asked him loudly, "Gandalf, what's going on? Are we going through some turbulent weather?"

"No, this has nothing to do with weather," He answered, "This is Saruman's work."

Gandalf then stood up straight, raised his staff, and began chanting in a deep voice that seem to reverberate around them. As he stood up there, the wind pushed and pulled against him, as if he was a rock and they were the waves trying to pull him under.

Alyssa watched in wonder, but she could tell that Gandalf was no whre near winning. The ground under her feet shook harder and the wind blew with a much stronger force.

"Alyssa," Aragorn was speaking into her ear, the wind was blowing so hard that it was the only way it seemed any could be heard, "You'll need to go against the wall and hold onto the hobbits!" She looked back at him as he handed her both Frodo and Sam, "And what are you gonna do?" She grasped Frodo and Sam firmly by their cloaks hoping that they all don't get blown away.

"I'm going for Gandalf!"

But Aragorn didn't even take one step ahead when the snow started falling like rain. He ran back, pushing everyone back against the wall, out of the way of all the snow. Alyssa was worried about Gandalf, but at the last minute she saw Legolas alos push him back. She sighed in relief although she wasn't any safer.

The snow fell all around the group, incasing them in a world of cold ice. Alyssa couldn't feel anything, she felt like she was suffocating. She moved her hands around. But all she could register was white. White, white, and yet some more white…

Someone suddenly grabbed her hair and pulled her out. Once on the surface she breathed in deeply and loudly, air has never felt any better.

Alyssa looked around and saw only the heads of everyone peeking out of the snow. They were all tired, the hobbits were scared, and Boromir was angry.

"We need to take a different path!" He yelled out in an angry voice.

"We cannot go there," Aragorn responded in an equally angry voice. "It cuts too close to Isengard!"

Gimli brightened at a sudden idea, "Why not under the ground? Through eh Mines of Moria?"

We all looked at Gandalf, hoping he'd make a decision. On his face there was sa reminiscent look, he closed his eyes briefly and looked at Frodo, "There is only one who can chose our path, Frodo, what would you want us do?"

Everyone's gazes switched quickly to the young hobbit's. Frodo looked scared. _I would be too_, Alyssa thought, _too much responsibilities and too many lives on the line_. She looked around, at the snow, at everyone's hopeful faces, waiting on Frodo to make his choice. _But then again, that experiment could've been worse_. Alyssa grabbed her cloak tighter around herself, she didn't even know what happened to her team!

"We shall go through Mines." Frodo's voice rang true through the chaos of cheers and snow.


	8. At the Gates of Moria

**So hey guys, sorry it's taken me forever to update. School's busy. But I have two more weeks left so hopefully I'll be able to write more! So read it, and love it!**

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><p>Gimli walked beside Gandalf at the front, bouncing like a five year old on Christmas morning. Alyssa shook her head slowly; Middle-Earth, she might never understand anything about it.<p>

"Hey, Aragorn," Alyssa said, "Why is Gimli so excited?"

"The Mines of Moria hold a very special place in the hearts of all dwarves," Aragorn said.

Alyssa nodded, _Yeah_, she thought, _this place is a very strange place_.

She looked around her. They were surrounded by mountains by ever side. Rocks here, rocks there, rocks every where. Though she agreed that it was a safer place than the snowy wonderland, she'd rather be surrounded by her calculus homework her Mac. _Oh, how Mac must be suffering_, Alyssa thought wistfully.

The group started walking downwards and Alyssa paused at the top of the ledge. Everyone walked ahead in a single file line with the horse amongst them. She looked out at the land. It was shaped like a bowl, with water in its very center and rocks jutting out dangerously all around the edges. She kicked a rock off the ledge and watched it make its tumultuous ride to the water.

"Alyssa!" She heard someone yell, she quickly raised her head and looked at the group. Legolas was standing at the very end of the group, left behind by everyone else. He wasn't looking very happy. He waved for her to get down there and Alyssa complied.

Once down there she saw Aragorn with Sam, tying his horse loose.

"Legolas, why is Aragorn doing that?" She asked.

Legolas answered in a voice full of contempt, "This is a dangerous place and certainly no place for a horse -or a woman- to be in!" He then walked away from her, choosing to go closer to the rest of the group.

Alyssa's mouth hung open, "Aragorn, I truly, truly believe that that man hates me with everything he has," She said. Aragorn was at her side, a small smile on his face as he looked out to where Gandalf and Frodo stood. "Have I ever given him a reason?"

Aragorn looked at her, should he mention the fact that Legolas hates that fact that she's here and unable to fight correctly? "He just needs some time to get used to you." Nope, he can't just crush her dreams like that!

Alyssa nodded slowly, "Yeah, maybe I'm just over reacting…"

She looked off to Gandalf, who stood in front a wide stone door. The door had silvery writing on it and it seemed as if Gandalf was struggling to open it. Alyssa sighed and moved off to the side to sit down; If Gandalf, a supposedly great wizard, was having trouble with this, then it would take a while for things to be fixed correctly.

Sam eventually came to sit right beside her and she yawned and nudged him, "Imma take a nap, wake me up when something interesting happens."

The last thing that Alyssa saw before falling asleep was Sam's nod of approval.

Alyssa was in her physics classroom. The room was large and spacious, the right side entirely filled up letting in sunlight and scenes from outside. The teacher was at the front, giving a lecture on the laws of thermodynamics. Alyssa sighed and looked out the window, she's studied the subject a million times over,

"Entropy is the amount of chaos in a system…"

_Hm, _Alyssa thought, _chaos, how can someone measure chaos_?

She kept staring out the window, the world changed, it was dark and murky. The sunlight slowly ebbed out, the teacher's voice eventually disappeared, the outside world and its inhabitants slowly dissolved until there was nothing left, but she did hear something… something that was out of the ordinary… something….

"Alyssa! Alyssa wake up!" She could hear Sam's voice and the dark world she was in shook and switched to another dark world, where in the background, the fellowship waged a scrimmage against a multi-tentacled octopus.

"We need to help get Frodo, come!" Then Sam moved quickly away, ready to jump into the fray.

Alyssa sat up, mouth hanging open. _What in the world? An octopus…_

She remained laying in the ground, truly out of touch with the world. Boromir took it upon himself to go to her side and pull her up.

"Alyssa! Wake up, help us!" He pushed her along to the where the giant monster was.

Alyssa's senses were slowly coming to her. She watched the scene forming before her eyes, Legolas shooting arrows at the monster, Aragorn jumping right in the middle of the fray along with Gandalf and Gimli, the hobbits around the edges. It was chaos, and right in the middle of it all was Frodo, being tossed around the murky waters by the giant octopus.

Alyssa gasped, "Entropy… The amount of chaos in the universe!"

Boromir gave her a strange look, "Alyssa, don't talk about your strange ways, help!" Then he too, ran into the fray.

"Okay, okay, I got this, you got this Alyssa!" She whispered to herself as she took her sword out of its sheath. She ran forward with the sword raised, mentally going over everything she went over with Aragorn. She lashed out one of its tentacles, but she didn't expect it to hit back.

Aragorn began making some progress in rescuing Frodo. "We need to go into Moria, and quick!"

Alyssa lay in the murky water for a while, flailing as the tentacled arms tried reaching for her. Someone then came and helped her to her feet, and gave her her sword. Alyssa reached for it and proceeded to thanking the person.

"Thanks…" Alyssa looked into the face of her savior and saw Legolas's cold and angry eyes. Her voice suddenly faded into nothingness.

"If you are to stay here, you must help!" He said in a voice as cold as a winter's night.

"Run, run, into the Mines!" They heard Aragorn's voice, and looked back. He had Frodo in his arms, and everyone was following him, the octopus waving his tentacles in anger. Legolas grabbed Alyssa's upper arm and together they went into the through the gate.

Alyssa was going to look back but Legolas tightened his hold on her, "Go forward, don't look back!"

As they all got inside, she heard a great rumble and crash behind her, the sound of stone falling, crashing, and then darkness and the silence that came with it.


	9. An Empty Tomb

So apparently I hadn't updated this story in a year?

I apologize dearly, but life got in the way as always!

I hope those of you who've stuck around enjoy this!

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><p>The darkness brought on an unbelievable silence, as well. Then Gandalf brought up his staff, and on it was a light blue light. Alyssa looked around a stifled a gasp with her hand; the place was full of skeletons. <em>What kind of world is this<em>, she thought in horror.

"It seems as if this shall be the way we have to travel," He walked forward and looked back at everyone, "Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of world."

And with that he strode forward, taking the light with him. Everyone began to follow in a single file line, with Alyssa in the back.

And so they traveled through the dark walkways of Moria. Darkness was their friend and they were always on high alert, making sure they never got too close to the edge of one cliff, or strayed too far from the group. They soon began walking upwards, and they were met with a fork on the road. Everyone looked towards Gandalf, awaiting his guidance.

Gandalf had a misty look on his face as he looked between the doors positioned in front of him. "I appear to have forgotten the way…"

Gandalf stood in front of the doors, contemplating which door would be used. Frodo sat by his side while everyone sat farther away. Alyssa stood farthest of them all. She lay on a rock, listening to murmurings of everyone else's voices as they resonated against the walls.

Her quiver of arrows lay by her side along with her sword while she held on to her bow, strumming on the string. She thought back to the past two weeks, how one day, she was living the life of a genius and on her way to becoming one of the greatest and most well known scientist in America, possibly even the world! But being here changed everything for her. She didn't know what to do, or think. The society here was different. Very different. They expected for women to wear dresses, they fought with swords, they had elves, heck, they probably don't even know what Calculus or Physics was!

She sighed softly. And looked to the side where everyone was at. They belonged here, she didn't, and she was just counting the days until the end of it all.

"I remember the way now!" Gandalf's voice called out.

Alyssa quickly sat up, bow in hand. Gandalf was walking towards one of the doors; he looked down into, and looked back, "Come!"

They followed the stairs down, farther and farther into the earth. Darkness seemed to be the constant reminder that they were underground.

Alyssa heard some low grunting and muttering at her side, she looked over and saw Gimli, "Gimli… your people created this Mine?"

Gimli's face lit up, "Yes they did! Worked hard and created a grandness of which only exists in legend!"

Alyssa gave a small smile. "Have you ever been here before?"

At this Gimli's face fell. "No, this is my first time… The first time in a very long while that anybody's presence graces these halls. They say this place is a very dangerous place, it's lost it grandeur. I refuse to believe so."

Alyssa looked at him carefully, he was obviously proud of this place, but the dark past of Moria hurt him. She opened her mouth to ask another question when suddenly she saw a small light ahead.

Everyone strode forward and in they went into a large majestic hall. Alyssa stopped and looked around, turning slowly. Never in her life has she seen grandness like these. She's been everywhere in the world with her parents, places that some people can only dream about, but it all paled in comparison to the scene before her.

There were pillars, wider than the thickest tree truck and taller than anyone one of the skyscrapers on Earth. The hallways seemed to stretch forever and it gave off an aura of calm she's never felt before. This place was beauty beyond imagination.

"Alyssa, come, you'll be left behind!" She heard Merry's voice below her.

She looked down and was greeted with his jubilant face. "Then I guess we best get moving." She responded ruffling his hair a bit. And so they went forward with the fellowship, Alyssa in awe of the beauty surrounding her.

She then heard Gimli's excited voice. "The tomb, the tomb! Balin's tomb!" And he ran forward ahead of them, into a room that was built in the middle of the grand pillars.

The tomb looked desolate and neglected. Alyssa walked by it and ran her hands on the marble. It was smooth and cool, but it obviously took some hits from either a battle, or something else. Though she knew it was most likely a battle, the people of this world seemed to solve everything through battles. And that was when she heard Gimli's desperate yell.

She ran inside and saw Gimli crouched before a slab of marble, moaning and crying. Alyssa could see that the slab was cracked, and there was strange linear writing at the top.

"What happened?" She whispered to no one in particular, but it was the elf who answered.

"Someone has been in here. I believe it's orcs." He said, disgust lining his face.

Alyssa looked at him surprised; this was actually the first time he spoke to her without contempt in his voice.

She looked up and saw Gandalf walking slowly towards the slab, "'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.'" He read from the slab. He gave a sigh, "He is dead, then. It's as I feared."

The whole room was silent except for Gimli's low chant and the small drops of water that could be heard. Alyssa steps away from the group and towards the door. She wasn't much for this kind of sadness. Though, given the fact that she's missing from her world her parents might already think she's dead. _And possibly planning my funeral,_ she though sadly.

She looked back at the group when she heard a rustle; it was only Gandalf taking a book from what appeared to be… _a corpse?_

Alyssa started stumbled a bit from the shock and held onto the wall for support. She wasn't used to this, being surrounded by constant death or living in medieval settings. She was a person from the 21st century for goodness sakes! She turned to look out at the endless hall from which they entered as Gandalf read from the book.

"They have taken the Bridge and the second hall: we have barred the gates ... but cannot hold them for long ... the ground shakes ... drums, drums in the deep ... we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no one save us? They are coming." His voice was deep and the message was ominous.

Alyssa shivered, but she couldn't tell if it was from the cold, or from the reading.

It was then that she heard a big band. She gasped and turned to look at the group. They were all surprised as she was, and all looking at the culprit who was standing beside a well: Pippin. Everyone stood still as the bangs resonated throughout the room, and throughout Moria.

Once the noise went away Gandalf walked quickly towards Pippin, "Fool of a Took!" He said loudly and in anger, "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

And that was when the booms echoed once more through Moria.

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><p>Hope that makes up for my unexplained hiatus!<p>

Hopefully I can update more frequently.


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